1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of water fountain displays and in particular to those displays which may be activated by response to an external stimulus such as sound.
2. BACKGROUND ART
Fountains have long been used as displays for public and private use. For examples, fountains may be found in plazas, parks, museums, amusement parks, and gardens, as well as in private homes and courtyards.
Typical prior art fountain displays are either on all the time, or are controlled by a timing device for display only during certain time periods. It is desireable to provide a fountain display which is only on when there is a viewer to watch it. To that end, it is desired to have a fountain display which is normally off but may be activated by some stimulus from a person wishing to view the display. To heighten the enjoyment of the display for the viewer, the activating mechanism should be hidden from the viewer and appear to be under the control of an "unseen hand" which customizes the display for each viewer.
An ancient pasttime associated with fountains is the tossing of a coin into the fountain's pool and making a wish. However, unless such a wish is instantly granted, there is typically no way of indicating or conveying the impression that the offered coin was favorably received. Therefore, it would be desireable to have a coin activated display. In the prior art, no such coin operated fountain displays are known to exist.
Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide a fountain display which may be normally off but may be activated by some stimulus from a person wishing to view the display.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fountain which customizes the display for a particular viewer to give the impression of interaction between the viewer and the fountain.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a fountain display which may be activated by the tossing of a coin into the fountain's pool.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fountain display in which the activating mechanism is hidden from sight from the viewer.